1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container mounted to a vehicle seat, wherein the container is defined hereby to be a container or holder for receiving or accommodating at least one small article therein, such as a cup holder or a small article container (or a case for accommodating small articles therein). In particular, the invention is directed to a structure of such container mounted to the vehicle seat, and also directed to a method for mounting the container to the vehicle seat.
2. Description of Prior Art
A vehicle seat of the type wherein a relatively small-sized container is provided in an upper surface of the seat cushion thereof, such container being adapted for receiving or accommodating small articles therein and hence being known as “small article container” or “small article case”, which allows drink bottles, chewing gums, pens, tissue papers and any other small articles to be received and stored therein is known. Of course, the container includes a cup holder widely used in the seat.
In this sort of vehicle seat, in most instances, a container or small article container, inclusive of cup holder, is formed from a synthetic resin material and secured in a recession defined in a predetermined local area of a foam padding which forms a seat cushion of the vehicle seat. The container itself may be formed from a cloth material in a bag-like shape, and such cloth container may be securely placed in the afore-said recession defined in the seat-cushion foam padding. But, in that case, a relatively heavy and hard article, such as drink bottle, can not be supported in a stable manner, and for that reason, a relatively robust container of synthetic resin material is widely used in the seat of this kind in order to stably accommodate various kinds of small articles.
In general, the container is typically formed from polypropylene into a configuration having an opening defined on the upper side thereof and a flange defined integrally therewith so as to extend peripherally and outwardly of that opening. A whole configuration of the container, excepting the flange, substantially conforms to a whole shape of the afore-stated recession which is defined in a local area of foam padding in a seat cushion, for example. With regard to the seat cushion in this case, a trim cover assembly, which has a cut-out region defined in correspondence with the recession, overlies substantially a whole upper surface of the foam padding, such that end portions of the said cut-out region circumscribe the recession. In assembly, a whole portion of the container, excepting the flange thereof, is placed in the recession and thereby securely mounted to the seat cushion, while insuring that all the end portions of the cut-out region of trim cover assembly are sandwiched between the flange of the container and the upper surface of the foam padding.
The above-described arrangement of container, with the end portions of the trim cover assembly's cut-out region sandwiched between the container's flange and the foam padding, has a problem that, when the upper surface of the seat cushion is resiliently depressed or lowered due to an externally applied load, an opening or clearance is created between the flange of the container and the localized surface area of the trim cover assembly adjoining with that flange, because the trim cover assembly is stretched downwardly due to the depression of seat cushion to a level lower than the flange. As a consequence thereof, it is highly possible that a finger(s) of user may be inserted into or caught in the afore-said opening or clearance, when the user puts a small article(s) (e.g. drink bottle, pen or tissue paper) in the container or takes it out therefrom. Hence, provision of a guard or other finger protective means between the flange and the afore-said localized surface area of trim cover assembly is required to prevent the above-described insertion of the user's finger(s).
One example of a solution to the foregoing problem is found in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-61536, wherein, in the same manner as described above, a container having a flange is secured in a recession formed in a foam padding of seat cushion, with the end portions of trim cover assembly being sandwiched between the flange and the foam padding. This prior art however discloses a relatively hard localized region of the foam padding surrounding the recession, which is harder than the other region of the foam padding, and shows a process for fastening a bottom of the container by a securing pin to a frame embedded in the seat cushion, such that the flange of the container is pressed downwardly against the end portions of trim cover assembly as well as against such a relatively hard localized region of foam padding. Hence, the end portions of trim cover assembly are positively and firmly sandwiched between the flange and the relatively hard localized region of foam padding, and in particular, such relatively hard localized region of foam padding withstands a normal load applied from a user's weight and movement or the like and therefore serves to avoid creation of clearance between the flange and such end portions of trim cover assembly in normal use.
However, since the foam padding per se is resiliently deformable, even the relatively hard region thereof is inevitably depressed or deformed downwardly by a downward great load applied thereto and/or to an area of the foam padding surrounding the recession and the flange of container. In that case, it is highly possible that an opening or clearance will be created between the container's flange and the trim cover assembly's end portions, and therefore the user's finger(s) may be inserted into or caught in that opening or clearance. Consequently, it is impossible with this prior art to completely solve such problem, and there is no other practical choice but to use and dispose a guard element around the flange of container as well as between the trim cover assembly's end portions and that flange in order to prevent the insertion of a user's finger(s).
As another example of prior art, there is a Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-309370 which also shows a container mounted on a seat, but discloses use of a wire between a flange of the container and a foam padding of the seat. Similarly to the foregoing descriptions, the container, excepting its flange, is placed in a recession formed in the foam padding and a trim cover assembly overlaying the foam padding has a cut-out region defined therein which substantially conforms to the contour of an opening of the container. But, according to this prior art, such cut-out region of the trim cover assembly is formed with a plurality of spaced-apart tubular end parts, and wires pass through those tubular end parts, so that the wires are partly exposed along the cut-out region of the trim cover assembly. Thus, those partly exposed portions of the wires are arranged around the recession of foam padding. The container's flange has a plurality of bifurcated latch pieces integrally formed in the lower side thereof By engaging the bifurcated latch pieces with the partly exposed wires, respectively, the flange of container is secured on the seat, whereby all the end portions of the trim cover assembly's cut-out region are neatly and directly connected to the flange. This arrangement eliminates the necessity for such end portions associated with the trim cover assembly to be sandwiched between the flange and the foam padding, thereby making the flange and the trim cover assembly independent from the deformable foam padding. In other words, even when the foam padding is resiliently depressed or deformed downwardly around the recession in which the container is secured, no influence of such deformation of foam padding is imparted to both of the container and trim cover assembly, and therefore any opening or clearance is not created between the container and trim cover assembly. In addition, by simply engaging the latch pieces with the wire, the container can be easily and readily secured to an upper surface of seat cushion or the like.
However, with this prior art, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming to form the plurality of spaced-apart tubular portions in the ends of the trim cover assembly's cut-out region and insert the wires through the tubular portions, respectively.